Cat Connoisseurs Trivia Quiz

Answer: Monkey

La Fontaine dedicated his first collection of fables to the 6-year-old son of Louis XIV. Aesop and Horace were two of the sources of his inspiration. "The Monkey and the Cat" was in the second collection and altogether he wrote 243 fables.

Answer: a tub of goldfishes

Thomas Gray was born on Boxing Day in 1771. He attended Eton College alongside the son of the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole. He studied at Cambridge. The 'Ode on the Death of a Cat Drowned in a Tub of Goldfishes' was written in memory of Selina, the cat of Horace Walpole.

Answer: 16

Christina Rossetti was a very religious woman and turned down several husbands because they did not share her faith. Many of her poems were about the church or love. She wrote the Christmas carol 'In the Bleak Mid-Winter' in 1872, but it was not set to music until 1906 by Gustav Holst.

She also wrote for children, including 'Who has Seen the Wind?'. She had a mastectomy due to breast cancer and died of this disease in 1894.

Answer: James Herriot

James Herriot is probably the most well known vet in the world. He has written numerous books about his experiences. There have also been television series made about his work. He loved all animals and felt that animals were totally helpless, depending on us and trusting us like children. He, like Sigmund Freud, felt that 'Time with cats was never wasted.'

Answer: Heaven

Elizabeth Coatsworth was an American children's author. She wrote many stories with animals as the stars. Her book 'Bess and the Sphinx' was thought to be a biography of her early life. 'The Cat Who Went to Heaven' won her the Newbery Medal in 1931. She was over 90 years old when she died.

Answer: Giles

Many people are often confused as to whether Thomas Stearns Eliot is American or British. This is because he was born in St. Louis in 1888, but in 1927 he took British citizenship. He was a prolific writer. 'Old Possum's book of Practical Cats' is a collection of poems which were written in letters to his godchildren.

Some of the ideas have been used in the musical 'Cats' by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Answer: Killer

Anne Fine is a well known British author of children's books. She has won many awards including the Carnegie Medal, the Whitbread Children's book Award and the Guardian's Children's Fiction Award. She was also the Children's Laureate from 2001-2003. As well as 'Diary of a Killer Cat', she has written many well loved books. 'Alias Madame Doubtfire' was the basis for the 'Mrs Doubtfire' film starring Robin Williams.

Answer: Mark Twain

Many quiz questions ask for the real name of Mark Twain---Samuel Langhorne Clemens, but did you know he was unable to live without a cat for company? The two cats that he rented were called Sackcloth and Ashes. There are many cat quotes from Twain including 'Never try to teach a cat to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the cat.'

Answer: Edgar Allan Poe

In real life Edgar and his wife had a cat called Catterina. Many people think it must have been 'A Black Cat' as in the story that he wrote, but it was in fact a tortoiseshell. He also wrote about 'The Raven'. He is remembered as one of the great American writers in world literature.

Answer: Michael Morpurgo

Most cats live for about 14 years. The nine lives are said to be 'For three he plays, for three he strays and for the last three he stays.' People think that the nine lives theory may have originated in Egypt where cats were considered sacred. Michael Morpurgo was once a teacher and loves to write and tell stories. Monty is a great cat with many adventures.